Three major utilities in Arizona are looking to develop another nuclear power plant.
Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project and Tucson Electric Power have taken the first steps by applying for a federal grant.
The companies say the idea is part of them looking at multiple power options as Maricopa County continues to be one of the fastest growing in the country.
The three-year grant would allow the companies to begin exploring for and possible preparation for a potential site.
APS’s Vice President of Resource Management Brian Cole says there have been technology improvements since Palo Verde Generating Station turned on almost 40 years ago.
“They are a little bit more flexible than the ones that we have today, so they're very capable of putting out 24/7 energy every day of the year other than refueling outages. But they also have a little bit of flexibility to be able to turn up and down in order to balance things out," he said.
Cole says if a new plant is made, it wouldn’t be operational until the 2040s.
